


Hurry Up and Wait

by JetGirl1832, tomatopudding



Series: Friends Make Life A Lot More Fun [19]
Category: Rent - Larson
Genre: College, Friendship, Gen, Theater - Freeform, audtions, dance, julliard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-05
Updated: 2017-04-05
Packaged: 2018-10-15 10:32:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10554856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JetGirl1832/pseuds/JetGirl1832, https://archiveofourown.org/users/tomatopudding/pseuds/tomatopudding
Summary: Mimi decides to go for it, today is the audition for Julliard.February 1992





	

The only thing going through Mimi's head every time they called for her name was that it meant she could continue on. She'd done the first two parts of the audition, a ballet and modern class, and now it seemed she would continue on with her solo piece. This was what she had been trying to perfect, making sure every move was clean and strong, it was her chance to make a statement as individual. She sat down near a group of others who had made it (the numbers were decreasing immensely), well at least she could try and make friends while she waited.

The girl she sat next to had blonde hair that was obviously dyed pulled into an extremely tight bun near the top of her head. She was chattering in the direction of the African American guy on her other side, who nodded every so often, clearly not actually listening. When he saw Mimi watching, he caught her eye and grinned, gesturing slightly towards the girl between them and making a face.

Mimi tried to hide her laugh but was unsuccessful and now she found herself on the receiving end of blonde’s icy gaze. “Uhh… Hi?” she tried to start off in a friendly manner. 

The girl let out a huff, clearly she was not interested in talking to her… Oh well… Mimi doubted that it would be a great loss.

“Courtney Dawes.”

“What?” Mimi knit her brows together.

“Courtney Dawes,” the girl repeated, “that’s my name, and you are?”

“Mimi Marquez,” Mimi replied,now not quite sure what to make of the blonde.

Courtney gave an unconvincing smile, "Nice to meet you," she said, lips pursed.

"Right," Mimi looked towards the guy and smiled slightly, "What's your name?"

"Kenneth," the guy replied, reaching across the unimpressed Courtney to shake Mimi's hand, "Kenneth Real. Not Ken or Kenny, please and thanks."

Mimi smiled, “I like you.” There was something very charming about Kenneth certainly he seemed like someone that she could be friendly with… Courtney? Well just from their earlier interactions she had no qualms with labeling her as a bitch, that was just the vibe she gave.

Kenneth grinned, "It's a particular skill of mine, getting people to like me."

Mimi would have been happy talking with him all day, she could tell.

"So, how long have you been dancing?" Courtney interrupted, giving a haughty sniff, "I've been dancing since I was three."

Oh, so that's the game she was going to play. Mimi smiled, "been dancing since I was..." she paused for dramatic effect, "four."

Courtney looked like she's swallowed something sour, "Isn't that great."

Mimi felt like she'd won a battle.

"I wish my parents would have let me start that young," Kenneth sighed, "I was almost in high school before I started."

“Hey you made it this far!” Mimi replied enthusiastically, “That’s gotta say something about you.”

His smile was shy when he answered, "I suppose so."

"I went to LaGuardia School of the Arts," Courtney butted in, obviously trying to get the attention back on her.

Mimi clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, “How nice,” she hoped that Courtney would get the message that she had no interest in talking to her. 

“Well where did you go to high school?” Courtney asked.

It seemed that with this girl it was all a question of pedigree, boy was she about to be beyond shocked.

"Private school," Kenneth replied, "A Catholic seminary kind of thing," he laughed, "that worked out well."

"And you?" Courtney glanced at Mimi.

"Good ol’ Public School 71," Mimi replied with a grin, she had never cared much for her high school and it was funny that she was taking so much pride in it now… Perhaps it was because she knew that it was making Courtney uncomfortable.

"Oh," Courtney seemed to write her off, rising gracefully and moving to sit with a group of other girls with similar buns.

"Thank god," Kenneth groaned, "I thought she'd never leave."

"Seriously," Mimi rolled her eyes, "little miss princess," she scoffed before turning her attention back to Kenneth, "how did she end up cornering you?"

"I don't even know," Kenneth replied, "I was just sitting here, freaking out in my head about getting this far, and she just started talking."

"Poor thing," Mimi giggled, "well she's gone now and I think I might have scared her off.”

"Well," Kenneth adopted a Valley Girl accent, "You went to public school, which is, like, so totally gross."

"Of course," Mimi got out between laughs, "yeah, I think she would have found a lot about me offensive."

"She's going to have to get used to the fact that not everyone had the upbringing she did," Kenneth replied, "She wouldn't survive a day in Harlem."

"Or the Bronx," Mimi smirked. "she probably has some pretty little penthouse on the Upper West Side, but enough about her... Are you from Harlem?"

"I lived there she a while," Kenneth replied, "With my mom. Until she died. After that, I moved in with my aunt in Queens," he smiled, "she's the one who sent me to Catholic school, trying to get rid of all the bad habits my mom taught me. Sinful behavior, she called it."

This story was a bit too familiar to Mimi when she recalled growing up with Angel, "Oh..." she replied.

"My mother was a hooker," Kenneth said bluntly, chuckling a little when Mimi's eyes went wide, "Sorry, was that too forward? I've gotten over it, really."

Mimi felt bad for her initial reaction to Kenneth, "I'm sorry I shouldn't have reacted that way," she apologized, "I was actually a dancer at a strip club before this."

Kenneth couldn't help laughing, "You know, that's exactly why my aunt didn't want me to dance. She thought I'd end up at a strip club."

Mimi smiled, "You? I don't think you’re that type!"

"What kind of type is that, then?" Kenneth, leaned his back against the wall, pulling up his legs and resting his chin on his knees. He seemed genuinely curious.

That was a good question, "I uhhh....." Was she even that type whatever that was. The number of times Roger and the other's had made her blush was too many to count. "Well I guess I'm really not that type either," she thought in comparison to the other girls she worked with.

Kenneth grinned, "I stumped you didn't I?"

Mimi didn't have a chance to answer, a tall, thin man in a suit entered the room.

"Congratulations to everyone," he said, voice rising above the chatter, "for getting this far. We began the day with one hundred and now we're down to only twenty. As you all know, the next step is your solo pieces, which we will see in alphabetical order. Karen Archon, you're up first. Lawrence Applewood, on deck."

So it was starting, Mimi could feel her nerves taking over and she didn't like it, "No turning back now."

"I think we passed the point of no return a long time ago," Kenneth grinned.

Mimi sighed, "I suppose you're right, so what are you dancing to?"

"Feeling Good," Kenneth replied, "pure jazz style."

"Very nice," Mimi smiled, "good choice,"

"What about you?" Kenneth asked, "What's your dance poison."

"Rhapsody in Blue," Mimi replied, "not the full version, eleven minutes is a bit too long."

"Not to mention there's a five minute limit," Kenneth laughed, "And nobody likes getting cut off in the middle of their piece. I heard that they're really strict about that stuff."  
"Yeah, five minutes to make your mark," Mimi mused, "it's that make it or break it moment."

"Now you're making me nervous," sighed Kenneth, "Don't do that."

"Sorry," Mimi blushed and bit at her lip, "can you ever forgive me?"

Kenneth made a big show of thinking it over, "Well," he drew the word out for several syllables.

Mimi smacked his arm and Kenneth chuckled.

The man in the suit returned, "Madison Bailey, Zach Behr on deck-"

Mimi inhaled deeply, her nerves were starting to get the better of her, "Shit, didn't think I would be this nervous."

"If you weren't nervous, I'd be worried for your sanity," Kenneth intoned, "Look at my hand."

He lifted it and Mimi saw that it was shaking like a leaf.

"I guess we are all train wrecks waiting to happen," Mimi laughed, "except her," she nodded at Courtney who was still chatting away with some of the other dancers, "god... Just look at her!"

Kenneth put on a passable impression of Courtney's choice, "I went to the LaGuardia School of the Arts, I'm amazing and you should all be jealous."

"Impressive," Mimi nodded, "you almost had me fooled!"

Courtney was called to be on deck and she flounced over to the suited man with her head held high.

"Shall we send bad juju her way?" Mimi asked, eyebrow raised.

Kenneth wiggled his fingers in Courtney's direction.

"Oogie boogie."

"She saw you..." Mimi whispered as Courtney glared at them causing them to laugh even more. She let out a huff before practically prancing into the room.

Their laughter subsided into giggled and sighs.

"No matter what happens here," Mimi said, "We should go or for coffee."

"Definitely!" Kenneth agreed, "My girlfriend would love you."

"And I'm sure Roger would like you too," Mimi smiled, "actually all of my friends would like you."

"Bohemian types," Kenneth guessed with a grin.

"Of course," Mimi replied with a matching smirk.

"So you mentioned something about the Bronx, do you still live there?" Kenneth inquired.

"Hell no," Mimi shook her head, "I've moved up my station in life, all the way to the East Village."

"Very nice," Kenneth said, "I'm still in Queens right now, but Jenny and I are looking for places in Brooklyn."

"Fancy," said Mimi with a smile.

Kenneth laughed, "I'll say."

"Well... Fancy for us starving artist types," Mimi amended her original statement, "the true talent of the art world," she added with a laugh.

"Isn't that the truth!" Kenneth laughed, "Jenny's an elementary school math teacher, so her pay isn't too great either."

"Hey, a steady job is a steady job," Mimi nodded, "That's why Mark is busting his ass at Buzzline."

Kenneth made a face, "Buzzline? Isn't that completely sensationalist and yet totally banal and trite at the same time?"

"Yes, yes, and yes," Mimi sighed, "he hates it but for some reason they like him."

"Lindsey Franklin, Anna Greer on deck."

They were getting steadily closer to Mimi's turn. For all she knew, she'd be called on deck next. Hell, she probably would be, based on the number of people left in the room. She found herself completely tuning out Kenneth's next sentence.

"Sorry," she sighed, shaking her head slightly, "What did you just say?"

"I was asking about how he ended up at Buzzline in the first place," Kenneth repeated.

"Uhhh... Well that would be because of Maureen," Mimi laughed, "she had this protest against evicting the poor and the homeless, at least I think that's what it said on her flier."

"Oh," Kenneth's eyes went wide, "Maureen Johnson? Over the Moon?"

Mimi grinned, "That's the one!"

They mooed in unison, drawing a few agitated stares from their fellow applicants.  
"Carlos Litton, Mimi Marquez on deck."

Mimi's chuckles ended abruptly and she let out a small, nervous whimper.

"See you on the other side," Kenneth whispered, drawing Mimi into a brief hug before she stood up.

The walk to the front of the room seemed to take forever and when she was through to the next room her heart was beating vigorously.

"Litton, you have two minutes to warm up before you go in," the man in the suit said, "Once he goes in, Marquez you must wait until I say before you get your warm up time."

"Okay," Mimi replied nervously, so she just had to stand there... Alone... Great. At least there wouldn't be anyone watching her warm up. That was the thing that worried her most about this audition, doing her routine while being watched. It was different than the kind of watching that was done at the Cat Scratch Club. There, it didn't matter if she did everything perfectly or not, there'd always be drunk guys cheering her on. Now her skill mattered, everything mattered... For crying out loud they dictated exactly what it was she needed to wear for her audition. Which had been an ordeal in and of itself. Finding a dance supply store was inordinately difficult and even when she'd done that it was a hassle to find something that wouldn't blow her clothing budget. The man in the suit stuck his head in and gestured Carlos to come through to the audition room, reminding Mimi to wait for his signal before beginning her warm up.

Things were getting close and Mimi rubbed her hands together nervously. She was just minutes away now, then it would all be over, well at least the dancing would be. If she was lucky enough to get an interview that would be great, well more like fantastic but Mimi wasn't thinking that far ahead right now.

Roger sometimes called her pessimistic because she didn't like to think too far ahead in the future. Even though he knew what it was like to not know when your next meal would be coming, but he didn't quite understand the experiences that she'd had. And maybe that was being nitpicky because everyone's experiences were different. Who was she to judge, even after all this time there were still something's she was too afraid to tell him, or anyone for that matter…

"Ms Marquez, you may begin your warm up."  
Mimi hadn't even noticed the man in the suit come in, but she smiled a nervous thanks and set herself up at the barre to do some stretches. As she stretched, Mimi tried to focus, but there was so much going through her mind. Even though it felt like she had just started stretching the man in the suit had already returned.

“They’re ready for you Ms. Marquez.”

Her nerves were on fire as she walked into the audition hall. It was a large stage, fully lit. In the audience, a panel of five sat a few rows back. The house lights were all up, so Mimi could see them all clearly. They seemed serious and foreboding. Mimi took her place at the center of the stage, just as they had been instructed.  
"Mimi Marquez. Rhapsody in Blue. Contemporary."

She moved into position and the music began. When it started Mimi nervously made her first movements, the steps were long memorized but there was a nagging sense of doubt that lingered in the back of her head. She tried to fight it with each step that she took, to make it disappear because she was better than that and she knew it.

By the time she was a minute in, she didn't even register that there was anyone watching her, so completely lost in the music that she was surprised by the music coming to an end.

She stayed in her final pose for moment before drawing herself back up and looking back at the panel who were making notes.

Their faces showed no sign of what they were thinking as they all conferred in soft voices. Mimi stood with her hands clasped in front of her, waiting.  
"You may go wait outside with the others," one of the panelists finally declared.

Mimi tried not to let out the huge sigh of relief that threatened to emerge, simply following a different man in a suit who emerged to lead her to the back of the theatre, down some stairs, and to a dressing room. The people who had gone before get were all sitting silently, almost shell-shocked. Time seemed to slow down and speed up at the same time, distorted by her relief and the renewed sense of nervousness about finding out who got an interview. Even Courtney’s facade seemed shaken, slowly the rest of the applicants joined them and when Kenneth appeared Mimi waved him over. 

“How’d it go?” She asked.

He gave a nervous shrug, "I could feel their eyes on me the whole time," he replied, shaking his head, "It was totally freaky."

“I’ll bet,” Mimi nodded her head, “well at least it’s over…” but her voice did not convey the confidence she would have like to have been feeling, “it’s all a little hurry and a wait around here.”

Kenneth chuckled, "That's true enough."

The murmur of voices in the dressing room was slowly rising as time went on and people's nerves settled to the background. When the door opened, however, a sudden silence swept the room. One of the panelists stepped in, an austere looking woman with a high, tight ponytail and a sour expression.

"Welcome applicants," she said, "It's been a long day and I know that you all are eager to get this process finished. Only one half of you in this room right now will be continuing on to the interview round. After that, we were send out letters with our decision. You will either receive a rejection, an acceptance, or a place on the wait list."

She gave a brief nod before taping a sheet of paper to the wall. A small smile drastically softened the lines around her mouth, "Good luck."

Slowly people got up from their seats to look at the list, but Courtney jumped up the fastest and pushed through everyone to read it. She scanned the list thoroughly and her face fell, which then quickly turned to a frow, “There must be some mistake…” she muttered, “Ma’am there must be some mistake, why is my name not on the list?”

“Well Ms-”

“Dawes, Courtney Dawes,” She provided.

“Ms. Dawes,” The woman continued, “you can safely assume that you have not been invited back for an interview, enjoy the rest of your day-”

“What?!?” Courtney exclaimed, “you can’t do this to me! Do you know who I am-”

Mimi shook her head as she went to look at the list herself, now was the moment of truth… And there is was in black and white on the paper. “Kenneth, pinch me and make sure I’m not dreaming…”

Kenneth complied and Mimi winced at the sharp pain.

"I can't believe it," she whispered to herself.

"Ms. Marquez."

Mimi turned to the woman, surprised that she remembered her name.

"I was very impressed by your solo," she continued, "You have quite the skill."

"Th-thank you," Mimi stuttered, "I, um, thank you."

She patted Mimi's shoulder briefly before leaving.  
At this point Mimi could help but let out a laugh, they wanted to speak with her for an interview? This was so much more than she could have asked for. She leaned back against the wall and watched a pissed of Courtney who was muttering a slew of insults under her breath she then walked right up to Mimi. "I should be having this interview, not you!" she snapped.

"Obviously not," Kenneth replied with a smile, coming to stand beside Mimi, arms crossed, "Bye bye now. Enjoy your sulk in peace."

"You got one too," Courtney hissed. When Kenneth nodded, she let out a growl of frustration, "Ugh! This school wouldn't know true talent if it slapped them in the face!"

"I'm going to slap you in the face in a second."

Courtney turned on her heel and stormed away.

Mimi smiled, 'Thank's for that," she turned towards Kenneth, "god can you believe it?"

"It's amazing," Kenneth replied, grinning, "This is the last step of the process. Not too bad for a couple of people from the streets."

“Yeah not too bad at all,” Mimi grinned she couldn’t wait to tell Roger once she was through here for today, “I used to joke about this and now it’s actually happening!”

By the time the bustling movement had settled, there were ten of them remaining. Except for Kenneth, Mimi recognized the guy who had gone directly before her, Carlos, but nobody else. There were more guys than girls, she noticed, and she wondered whether that would work in her advantage or not.

Once again one of the men in suits appeared, "Alright, thank you for your patience, now we'll call you one by one for your interviews starting alphabetically with Zach Behr."

Mimi groaned, "I almost wish it was random. With alphabetical order, you know exactly when you're next."

"But random keeps you always on alert," Kenneth countered.

"You're just saying that because you actually get to sit back and relax, there are only like three more people before I have to go," Mimi replied.  
Kenneth grinned sheepishly, "Maybe a little. But I'm only three people after you."

"Right, I forgot how few of us their are left," Mimi sighed.

"The final countdown," Kenneth sang softly.

Mimi let out a small snort of laughter, "I was thinking a little more along the lines of then there were none."

"Well," Kenneth snorted, "four, at least."

Carlos was called in to his interview and Mimi sat up with a start. She was next.

She hadn't realized how quickly the time was going, and while she was nervous this time she wasn't really afraid. She still wasn't guaranteed yet, and wouldn't be until she got a letter saying so but she was starting to feel confident.

She made her way into the interview room, which was in the other dressing room. The woman who had praised her was there along with the other four panelists who had watched the solos.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Marquez," the man in the center greeted with a smile, "My name is Simon and I am the Dean of the dance department."

Mimi put on a small smile as they gestured for her to take a seat, "It's very nice to meet you sir."

"So, tell me," he steepled his hands on the table, "what brought you to our auditions this year?"

Mimi paused to think of her response, "Well..." She began, "I once considered it awhile ago, actually one of my friends suggested that I go out for the auditions this year."

Simon nodded, "Why didn't you apply in the past? You're still very young, but you're slightly older than most of our applicants."

Mimi bit at her lower lip, "I guess you could say that life got in the way... I don't really have the support of my family as far as doing this, kinda on my own."

"Family isn't always related by blood," Simon added with a smile.  
Mimi couldn't help but smile, "Don't I know it, frankly I don't know what I would do if I didn't have my friends."

"It's great to have a nice support group," agreed Simon, "Is there a dance style that you never learned and wish you had?"

Mimi thought about it, her primary focus had been ballet and jazz, "I've always thought it might be fun to try tap, like in those old movies with Gene Kelly..."

Simon laughed, "Yes, it's a very different experience than any other dance style."

"Yes, I've noticed," Mimi nodded her head, "It would be fun to try out something different for a change."

Simon smiled and nodded, "What sort of things other than dancing do you like to do?"

"Although this is an intensive program," added another one of the male panelists, "We don't want our students to be so consumed by what they do here that they are unable to find ways to relax. My name is Kyle, by the way, I teach the tap elective. All students are required to study ballet and modern but we offer several elective styles as well."

"Well..." Mimi let out a slight laugh, "I really do live that bohemian life style... But that goes for all of us. I mean if we ever have a chance to celebrate we'll immediately go and take over the Life Cafe," she smiled. "I also live with my boyfriend Roger in the East Village, he plays guitar and writes his own songs and says that I'm his muse-" she felt her cheeks redden slightly, "we have a rather large group of friends but if one person was missing you would know it..." MImi paused as she thought about Angel.

"Sounds like a loving support system," said Simon after a moment.

This was feeling more like a conversation than an interview and Mimi was rather pleased with that. Then, things became more focused.  
"Why do you dance, Ms. Marquez?"

"At first it was a distraction, a way to break away from reality..." Mimi began, "I discovered that I was good at it and it became more a passion, something I wanted to do forever, I haven't been able to focus on it as much as I would have liked... Like I said, life has a way of getting in the way, but once I picked it up again I actually felt... This is going to sound silly," Mimi pushed a stray piece of hair from her face, "I felt whole, until then I hadn't realized how much I'd missed it."

By the way the panel was smiling, the austere looking woman who had complemented her most of all, it wasn't as silly as she thought it would be.

"That is a sentiment we all share," the woman replied, "I'm Penelope, I teach modern. Now, do you have any questions for us?"

Mimi knit her brow together in thought, there certainly were a few things she had on her mind, "Actually there are a few things," she replied, "I did want to know a little bit more about scholarships?"

Simon gave her a reassuring look, "If someone is accepted to the program, it means that we really want them to be here. We will do everything in our power to help that become a reality. Although it's not possible to save money by living off campus," he smiled apologetically, "The early morning sessions make that prohibitive, but our scholarship office will work with each applicant to ensure they can attend."

Mimi smiled, this was good news it seemed that this was slowly becoming a viable possibility, "Great..." she then remembered she did have one more question that was also good to get out of the way, "Ummm... I have these medications I need to take throughout the day," she started to explain, "that shouldn't be a problem... Right?"

"It shouldn’t be," Simon assured, "You'll have to be in contact with the medical center. Is it possible that the reason behind your need to take these medications would cause problems with your ability to attend all of your classes?"

"I hope not," Mimi replied nervously.

Simon smiled, "Great. Ms. Marquez, if you don't have any other questions, then I would like to thank you for your time today. You should be receiving a letter with our decision within the month."

"Great," Mimi grinned.

She shook everyone's hands with a smile, which they each returned. She exited the same way she entered, head high. As soon as the door closed behind her, she leaned against the wall with a sigh.  
"Congrats."

It was the man in the suit who had been leading them everywhere like cattle.  
"Now comes the waiting."

Mimi laughed, "The hard part, then."

As she exited the room relief washed over her and it soon turned to adrenaline, she took off running down the hall and out of Juilliard and was scanning the area for Roger. She'd asked him to meet her there at around five since she'd figured she would be done by then. She soon spotted him sitting on the steps, "Roger!" she called out to get his attention.

Roger looked up from the paperback in his hands and grinned. He tucked the book into a pocket of his leather jacket and held his arms open for Mimi to run into.

Mimi ran straight for him and threw her arms around him, "Well I made it all the way through," she smiled.

""Now we wait," Mimi sighed, "The first thing we're going to wait for is the new friend I made."

"Oh?" Roger laughed, "you actually managed to play nice?"

Mimi lightly stepped on his foot.  
"Ow," Roger pouted.

Mimi stuck her tongue out at him, "You're so funny."

"Oh I know I am," Mimi replied with a smirk, "if this fails I should go do stand up."

"Mimi!"  
Hearing her name called, she turned to see Kenneth standing at the door of the building.

"You survived!" Mimi called as Kenneth joined them, "Kenneth this is my boyfriend Roger."

"Nice to meet you!" The two men shook hands.

"Well it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be," Mimi admitted.

"More like a conversation than anything else," said Kenneth.

"Exactly."

"Well I hope you make it," Kenneth smiled, "because you're a pretty awesome girl, and you-" he turned to Roger, "are one really lucky guy."

"Now what would Jenny say if she heard you talking like that?" Mimi teased.

"You don't know Jenny," Kenneth laughed, "Here, do you have a phone number? We should open our letters together when we get them. Double date?"

"Agreed," Mimi nodded, "Rog, you got any paper?" she asked sheepishly.

Roger dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled paper poster from his and Riley's last gig.

"I don't have a cell," Mimi explained, holding these paper out to Kenneth along with the stub of a pencil.

Kenneth grinned, "Off the grid, I like it."

He traded his cell phone for the paper. Mimi tapped in the phone number for the loft.

"Okay, now don't forget it's a date, alright?" Mimi replied as she passed back the phone back to Kenneth.

Kenneth took the phone from her, "No worries I won't forget," he said with a light laugh.

With one final hug, they went their separate ways, Roger with his arm around Mimi's waist, leading her in the direction away from the loft.

Mimi looked at him in confusion when they turned in the direction away from the loft.  
"Hey, where are we going?" She asked, “the subway’s in that direction…”

"The Life," Roger replied, "Mark got a promotion today."

Mimi smiled, "Wow, guess Alexi really likes him doesn't she? You think this might be her way of hitting on him?"

"Even if she is there is no way that he would go for it," Roger chuckled.

"Ah yes," Mimi said with a grin, "Riley. Not that they'll admit it. If they would just go on one date instead of mooning at each other all day."

"It's kinda pathetic actually," Roger added, "do you think if we locked them in a room together-"

"Roger!" Mimi interrupted him.

"It might work," He shrugged.

"Or Mark might kill you when he got out," added Mimi, "He's surprisingly good at getting out of locked rooms."

"His sister Cindy used to lock him places all the time as a kid," explained Roger.

"Oh..." Mimi paused, "well that's kind of horrible... Should I be glad I've never met her?"

Roger couldn't help the light blush that came to his cheeks, "She may have been my first crush."

Mimi's jaw dropped slightly, "You have got to be kidding me," she laughed, "you had a crush on Mark's sister? Please tell me she's at least hot."

"I always thought so," Roger told her.

"Do I have to worry about her being any sort of competition?" Mimi asked in a teasing manner.

Roger laughed, "She's married with kids."

"Oh good," Mimi smiled feeling as if she had won a small battle.

"There's nobody for me but you," assured Roger, slipping in ahead of her to hold the door of the Life Café open.

"Always the gentleman," Mimi smiled.

"Milady," Roger intoned haughtily.

Mimi smacked his arm as she passed, spotting Riley and Mark at their usual table.

"Hey guys!" Mimi called out to them and snatched up the empty seat next to Riley.

Riley have her a little side hug from her seat and Mark nudged Roger's shoulder when he sat.

"How was your audition?" Mark asked.

"Exhausting, but I didn’t break any bones or tear any ligaments so I think that's a good sign," Mimi smiled.

"Score one for Mimi," Riley grinned.

"I really hope I get it," Mimi sighed thinking about the letter.

Mark, ever the filmmaker, whipped out his camera, "Close on Mimi, the next prima donna ballerina of the New York City Ballet."

"I'm too short to be a Prima Ballerina," Mimi corrected him, "besides I'm more than just ballet-"

"Don't I know it," Roger laughed but was cut off by Mimi elbowing him in his ribs.

Riley giggled and Mark smirked.

"So, I hear that a celebration is in order," Mimi said, quirking an eyebrow at Mark.  
Embarrassed, Mark lowered his camera, his smile turned shy.

"I got a promotion," Mark replied, "it's really not that big of a deal..."

"Of course it's a big deal!" Riley said, patting Mark's hand affectionately, "It means dinner tonight is on you."

"I swear this only ever happens to me," Mark sighed.

Mimi laughed, and she certainly noticed Riley taking Mark's hand... One step closer. God she wondered how long they were going to drag out this nonsense, maybe locking them in a room wouldn't be such a bad idea.

"A toast," Roger said suddenly, snagging the bottle of wine the waitress brought them.

"Thanks, Melody," Mimi said to the girl. She was their usual waitress.

"No problem," The girl smiled, she certainly had a soft spot for this eclectic crew.

"To Mark and him rising up the ranks without having to sleep with anyone!" Roger declared, "I'm proud of you man."

"Cheers!" Riley exclaimed, pouring out a healthy dose of wine into four glasses, which they all clinked together.

 

"Look at us actually trying to make something of our lives," Riley smiled after taking sip of her wine.

"Being grown ups," Mimi added.

"Don't count on that," Roger scoffed, tossing his wine back.

"Real mature," Mark told I'm with a roll of his eyes.

"I still have an image to maintain," Roger replied.

“And what image is that?” Riley giggled.

"All around badass," Roger smirked.

"More like juvenile delinquent," laughed Riley.

Roger rolled his eyes, "I'm not a juvenile, and I'm not a delinquent."

"I'll be the judge of that," Riley grinned.

"I'm a victim of circumstance," announced Roger.

"Oh poor baby," Mimi pouted, "your life is so hard all because of your leather jacket."

"What's up bitches, you starting without us?"

"Collins!"

Roger and Mark sounded like a couple of kids going to see Santa Claus.

"Of course, we don't exist," pouted Maureen.

Joanne rolled her eyes, "Don't worry, you're the center of my world."

Maureen either didn't hear the sarcasm or didn't care, "Aw, Pookie!"

"So girl how'd it go?" Collins walked over to Mimi, "you going to be Juillard's brightest star?"

"Wouldn't be thinking that far ahead," Mimi laughed nervously, "but at least the audition is over."

"Hence, drinking," Riley commented, gesturing with her newly filled glass.

"I'll drink to that," Maureen said, stealing Mark's cup to do just that.

"Hey," Mark whined.

"Oh come on like you would have finished it anyway," Maureen placed the now nearly empty glass in front of Mark, "just speeding up the process."

Joanne let out a sigh as she watched Maureen.

"You don't know that," grumbled Mark, eyeing Joanne warily. They may be getting along better than they did when they first met, but Maureen flirting with him was still a sore spot.

Joanne still managed to put on a smile, "So you got a promotion?" she turned to Mark.

"Oh yeah, I'm now an assistant director," Mark replied.

"Is that a fancy way of saying gopher?" Roger teased.

"Nope," Riley chimed in cheerfully, "He's near the top of the ladder now!"

"Not really," Mark mumbled, "I mean, I don't really get to make a lot of decisions or anything like that."

"Alexi must really like you," Collins smirked.

"Oh Marky," Roger said, putting on Alexi's high pitched New York drawl, "The work you're doing is fabulous, just fabulous I *need* you to keep it up."

Mark could feel the tips of his ears going red, "She doesn't sound like that..."

"Yes she does," Roger, Mimi, Joanne and Maureen replied simultaneously.

"God, those voicemails!" Maureen laughed.

"She clogged up our entire answering machine mailbox once," Roger deadpanned.

"It was awful," Mimi sighed resting her head on Roger's shoulder.

"I couldn't get her voice out of my head for a week," Riley giggled, "The first full week I was living at the loft, mind you."

"Yeah, I'm kinda surprised you stuck around after all that," Roger let out a laugh.

"Well I'm glad you did," Mimi smiled.

Roger pressed a kiss to the top of her head, the arm he had slipped around her waist tugging her a bit closer. Mimi just continued smiling, allowing her friends chatter to wash over her. Mark and Riley keep shooting each other glances when they thought no one was looking, Maureen and Joanne teased each other gently, and even Collins looked the most content she had seen him since Angel's death. Even if she didn't get in to Juilliard, Mimi thought, she was lucky to have had he opportunity. She was luckier still that she got to spend this time with her friends, the people who had become her family.


End file.
